כְּדׇרְלָעֹמֶר

From the study of Genesis 14:4

Range of meaning

A personal name, found only in Genesis 14 (vv. 1, 4, 5, 9, 17). It is widely recognised as matching an Elamite name pattern, Kutir-Lagamar: Kutir- is a well-attested first element in Elamite royal names (e.g. Kutir-Nahhunte), often explained as 'protector' or 'bearer', and Lagamar is a known Elamite deity. Older explanations such as 'servant of Lagamar' are approximate.

Against the English

KJV, ESV, NASB, BSB and WEB spell it Chedorlaomer; NIV and NLT use Kedorlaomer, which is closer to the Hebrew k-sound. The difference is spelling only.

Used elsewhere in the period

No Elamite or Mesopotamian king named Kutir-Lagamar has been found in surviving records. Late Babylonian tablets once called the 'Chedorlaomer texts' (the Spartoli tablets) were thought to mention him, but that reading is now generally rejected. What the records do show is that Elam was a major power in the early second millennium BC: the Mari archives (18th century BC) record Elamite rulers stepping into Mesopotamian affairs and in contact with kingdoms as far west as Syria.

From the study of Genesis 14:5

Range of meaning

A personal name, found only in Genesis 14 (vv. 1, 4, 5, 9, 17). It is generally analysed as Elamite Kutir-Lagamar, 'servant of Lagamar'. Lagamar was a deity known in Elamite and Mesopotamian sources, and the element kutir appears in names of real Elamite kings (e.g. Kutir-Nahhunte).

Against the English

English versions simply carry over the name ('Chedorlaomer', 'Kedorlaomer'). Nothing is lost in translation, but English readers miss that the name sounds foreign and specifically Elamite.

Used elsewhere in the period

Elam, in what is now southwestern Iran, was a leading power in the early second millennium BC, and its kings at times had influence in Mesopotamia and Syria. Letters from Mari, a city on the middle Euphrates, describe rulers moving in coalitions ('ten or fifteen kings follow Hammurabi of Babylon…'). Late Babylonian tablets once claimed to name Chedorlaomer (the so-called 'Chedorlaomer texts'), but that identification is now generally rejected. No historical Kutir-Lagamar has been found.

From the study of Genesis 14:1

Range of meaning

An Elamite-style compound name. The first element matches Elamite Kutir- / Kudur-, found in royal names such as Kutir-Nahhunte and Kutir-Shilhaha. Its meaning is debated: "protector" and "servant/offerer" have both been proposed. The second element matches Lagamar (Lagamal), a deity worshipped in Elam. Roughly, "Kutir of Lagamar".

Against the English

KJV/BSB/WEB "Chedorlaomer" and NIV/NLT "Kedorlaomer" are the same name. The ch in the older spelling is pronounced as k.

Used elsewhere in the period

No king of this exact name is attested. Elam was nonetheless powerful in Mesopotamia in the 19th–18th centuries BC. Its rulers (titled sukkalmah) intervened in Mesopotamian wars, and Mari letters show Elamite involvement as far west as Syria around 1765 BC. Kudur-Mabuk, father of the kings of Larsa at that time, bore an Elamite-style name. Late Babylonian tablets once called the "Chedorlaomer texts" were thought to name him. They are now read as referring to other Elamite rulers, are much later, and do not confirm the biblical figure.